Matt Campbell has seen tough times in this world. So coming to Valparaiso University to pursue his dreams is all part of the good life, especially now that the Army veteran doesn’t have to worry about the financial burden of his education as a participant of the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Campbell is not only an engineering student, but he is a non-traditional student. He is 30 years old, has been married for eight years to wife Elizabeth, and they have a 15-month-old son named Connor.

But it is his work prior to coming to Valpo that earned him his stripes.

“I’ve gone to Iraq two times with the Army—once in April 2003 for 10 months and again in August 2006 for 11 months,” Campbell said. “I did mostly electrical work, such as repairs on cameras and surveillance equipment, and I drove convoys with my unit. I grew to love electrical work and decided to pursue it as a career.”

Currently, Valpo is hosting five undergraduate, four law students and one graduate student through the Yellow Ribbon program.

One of them is graduate student and Chesterton native Richard Amburgey, who recently completed six years of active duty service in the U.S. Navy.

The Yellow Ribbon program has allowed him to come back home to pursue his dream.

“Since I was a kid I have always known Valpo to be renowned for bright students and its wide variety of academic programs,” Amburgey said.  “I value the experiences the Yellow Ribbon is allowing me to have here at Valpo now, giving me the knowledge, tools and skills I need to thrive in life and in a career in criminal justice.”

To supplement the federal Yellow Ribbon Program – authorized under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 – the University offers a Patriot Award to eligible veterans who are accepted into its undergraduate, graduate and law school programs. The award is renewable for students who maintain satisfactory academic progress and conduct and those students participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program also are eligible for other Veterans Administration benefits, including living allowances and a $1,000 annual stipend for books and supplies.

“I received a letter from Veterans Affairs saying that I qualified for the program, so I applied and I talked to the Valpo financial aid office, which helped me,” Campbell said. “So the Yellow Ribbon Program covers half of my tuition, and the Veterans Affairs office covers the other half. I receive 100 percent tuition, and the G.I. Bill also gives me a housing stipend and pays for my books.

“It’s such a great program and I really appreciate Valpo’s participation in the program. It’s a huge financial burden off of my shoulders,” Campbell said.

He chose Valpo partly because of its involvement in the program, and partly because he and his wife are close to family in the area. But he said his decision to attend Valpo, beginning in the fall of 2008, was deeper than just the tuition coverage.

“I chose Valpo because it has a very strong engineering program,” said Campbell, who interned with Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) this past summer.

He says that the location close to home also enables him to spend time with his family, which is valuable to him. Campbell plans to stay in the region after graduation and said he enjoys the Valpo experience.

“I’ve gone to several different universities, and I really enjoy the smaller class sizes here,” Campbell said. “Within one week, all of my professors knew my name.”

Veterans interested in the Yellow Ribbon Program and the Valpo Patriot Award should contact Valpo’s Office of Admission at (219) 464-5011 or toll-free at 888-GO-VALPO.